Longer school day? How about a longer school year?

One of the more recent controversies raging in education is whether and how to extend the school day and even the school year.

Most children spend about six hours a day in class. There are proposals to lengthen that time anywhere from an hour to two or more. One variation involves weekend school, particularly for those students who have fallen behind in their studies.

Second is the extended school year. Most American students spend about 180 days in the classroom per year. Testing reduces some of that contact time. Increases in the school year would come by shortening school vacations, in particular the summer vacation.

Third is the concept of year-round school, in which a building never closes its doors, but rather students opt for additional trimesters, quadmesters or quinmesters, increasing their total number of days in attendance.

For this column, we're less concerned with the "how" and more concerned with the "why." The case for adding more minutes is the subject of this column.

To begin, cited most often is what many observers call "summer slide," or "regression," during July and August. Away from the books for two months, a number of students slip backward. I can cite two examples. Many high schools offer an extended algebra course, stretching the traditional two semesters over three: fall, spring and then fall of the following school year. Teachers speak of how much information must be taught again in the final semester after a two-month break. Similarly, there are schools that no longer give final exams for the fall semester in January, but rather schedule them just before winter break in December. Even the two-week hiatus from the holidays causes a dip in retention.

Second comes the criticism that the United States lags behind other countries. In a shrinking world and a global economy, this is worrisome. Our children are put at a disadvantage and may not be able to compete with other countries (China, India, South Korea, to name a few) where children spend as much as a month more in the classroom. Little wonder American students are not faring as well on international standardized tests. How can they compete?